Pep Guardiola pays tribute to Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after making history in Premier League
On the day when the German manager took command of his farewell Liverpool match, Spanish boss Pep Guardiola paused the festivities around Manchester City’s Premier League title win to honour Jurgen Klopp.
With a 3-1 victory over West Ham, City secured their record-breaking fourth consecutive title; nevertheless, had it not been for Klopp’s accomplishments on Merseyside, the club’s supremacy may have been much greater.
Klopp and Guardiola’s rivalry is certainly historical. The two created a rivalry built upon perfection, with Liverpool the only club to stop City’s title-winning machine with their triumph in the 2019–20 season.
Speaking after the game, the Spanish boss thanked Jurgen Klopp for raising the bar during their time chasing the Premier League title against each other. Pep told Sky Sports reporters:
“Jurgen has been a really important part of my life. He brought me to another level as a manager. I think we respect each other incredibly. I have a feeling he will be back.”
“I will miss him a lot. I just want to say thank you so much for his words. But he knows perfectly that behind me, there are a lot of things this club provides and gives to me. Otherwise, alone, I cannot do it. He’s humble enough and real enough to completely understand.”
With a 2-0 victory over Wolves to finish their cherished manager’s reign in style, the Reds were bidding an emotional goodbye to the German manager as City celebrated a record-breaking fourth consecutive top-flight championship.
Klopp bows out having led Liverpool to third place in the Premier League standings, with his team finishing nine points behind champions Manchester City and seven points behind Arsenal in his final season at the helm.
In his final dressing room speech, Klopp insists on his squad believing that they can again stop Manchester City in the next season and win the Premier League title by surpassing them, as they have done that before in the 2019–20 season.
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Till the end, they both have undoubtedly thought about their rivalry and the challenges they have given each other in every season. After the arrival of the new coach, Arne Slot, it will be interesting to see which turn this Liverpool and Manchester City rivalry takes.